Bangkok

Today was our first full day in Bangkok and very fortunately with a private guided tour. Here’s our tour guide, Wanida – such a joy!

Okay, let me start by saying that I won’t be able to tell you which temples we visited or what their names were. We both had a hard time just following along. I understand that there are 400 temples in Bangkok but we only visited three. So you’d think that we could manage the names and locations… right? No such luck. I was too focused on taking pictures and Rich humored and managed Wanida. So let’s start with the first temple we visited – just incredible! The Buddha was solid gold.

From Wanida we learned so much about the varying types of Buddhas. For example, Wanida asked us on which day of the week we were born because it had some significance to the corresponding Buddha. That last picture with the expanded hand represented the day upon which Rich was born – Saturday. Since I was born on Wednesday, that Buddha was not in town…. or at least not in that temple. It was fascinating to see the reverence and honor that the Thais demonstrated in all of the temples. Every temple required us to remove our shoes before entering. They also had guards to make sure that men wore no shorts and women were dressed appropriately – it was very comforting to experience.

We then crossed over the street to another small temple where I was able to photograph the Buddha and then later a resting monk. I asked whether I could photograph him and also offered a small donation – he agreed but didn’t look too cheery.

Next, we were off to the Grand Palace. This visit was truly, truly unbelievable. First of all, the temperature today was around 90 or so degrees and extremely humid – but we were so thankful that it wasn’t raining. Then, there were the crowds of visiting people…. also unbelievable. The crowds were incredible – and let’s not forget all of the women with umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. It was truly a montage of unending umbrellas – and of course, they were always in the way of my photos. So let’s view some of those photos that I took on the grounds of the Grand Palace. The Emerald Buddha, which is the highlight of the tour, is not reflected below because photos of any kind were not allowed.

I especially liked the picture below because I believe that the sunlight burst is a sign of good luck – at least that’s my story. I was so lucky to capture this.

Our next adventure was an hour long cruise along the main river in Bangkok and then the canals around the city. Wanida got us a private boat excursion through the waterways with a few stops along the way. One of the first was at an offshore temple where we purchased bread from a monk to feed the fish – that was amazing. And then a woman vendor who approached us as we floated by.

We ended the day a little unexpectantly. We had planned to have dinner at a nearby Thai restaurant but didn’t like the vibe once we were seated. Instead, we walked to the highly recommended Sky Bar on the 64th floor of a new high-rise. Although the view was outstanding, the drinks were extremely expensive and not exactly to our liking. I didn’t have my camera but here’s what my iPhone captured – check out the moon sliver at the top.

That’s it for tonight. What a great day in Bangkok. We love the city and especially the people. One more day and then we’re off to Cambodia. Please continue to follow us and by all means, make some comments.